Prayer

Feeling run down and tired? Maybe you have a lot of responsibilities, or you might be facing a crisis. Many times, the problem is mental fatigue. You’re tired of worrying and dealing with problems all the time. It’s even harder when a lot of the burden rests on your shoulders alone.

One great thing about faith in God is how he can turn the tables on any situation. He brings us help and relief when we least expect it.

Maybe even more amazing is how the Spirit of God renews us even before our situation changes. He gives us new energy and insight. In many cases, the right attitude alone makes a huge difference. Suddenly, distances seem shorter, and you figure things out will less stress. The Holy Spirit reveals things to you that you never saw before.

In the face of difficulty, living joyfully is a true miracle. So pray for the gift of seeing things from a heavenly perspective. Be renewed in the love of Christ.

If you’ve ever owned a garden, you know it only thrives if you take care of it. Of course, you can’t make the plants grow on your own, but your attention counts. It’s the same with your faith life.

The enemy will try to snuff out your belief. The world will distract you with apparently more important things to do. Don’t believe those lies. Resist. Make the effort to cultivate your faith. Dedicate some time every day. It makes a big difference.

If God is your creator, and Jesus your Savior, don’t they deserve some quality time? The results are more clear thinking and peace in your heart. You resist temptation, and you’re more likely to show mercy. So keep the faith.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.

Feeling hopeless might be one of the worst sensations ever. You feel like there’s no solution, or you feel trapped. Or maybe you feel like you’ll never measure up.

When you feel this way, try to break free from putting your problems at the center of your attention. This doesn’t mean you should ignore important issues, but just lay them aside for a moment.

Talk to God. Let him pour out his healing forgiveness and mercy over you. Ask him to bring order to your thoughts and feelings. When you are restored and strong, you can return to the problem with a healthier perspective.

From the wounds of Christ we receive his peace. Never lose hope in our resurrected Lord.

We all want people to be faithful to us. Deep down, we all want to be faithful too. Still, sometimes we fail. This goes far beyond just letting someone down or doing something dishonest. There are lots of ways we can be unfaithful.

For example, just talking bad about someone is not being faithful. Even if someone does something wrong, you don’t have to tell the whole world about it. Some things are best left to be dealt with in private. Even “harmless” teasing can hurt more than you think. Remember to protect the ones you love and don’t expose them.

Faithfulness can also apply to principles, not just people. In some cases, we have to stand up for what’s right and just.

So how do you avoid things that erode your faithfulness? It all returns to the example of the most faithful one of all. Jesus is the example and source of our faith and faithfulness. Seek him. Know him. And be faithful.

We all face difficult moments in life, but some have it really tough for a long time. In many circumstances, there’s no real way out. How can you deal with this?

It’s not easy, but the secret is an inner transformation. Yes, you can ask God to change situations, and it may even happen. Still, the Lord is more interested in your heart. He wants to transform you into the best version of yourself. God the Father wants all of his children to be more like his son Jesus.

Once you begin to truly understand the purpose and meaning behind this process, it’s miraculous. You see things from a heavenly perspective as God’s grace works in and through you. Trust and believe in this. Embrace your service and enter into the full blessings of the Lord.

but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

2 Corinthians 6:4-10

PRAYER FOR WHEN LIFE IS HARD

Oh blessed Lord,

You know my situation. You know my life. It’s complicated and dense. There’s no way out. Why is this happening to me?

Oh loving Lord, help me. I need you so much right now.

Let me look upon the life and death of Jesus for understanding. He could have run away from the cross. Instead he served. He gave his life.

Let me know Christ, oh Lord. Help me understand that all the answers are in him. In knowing Jesus, I become more like him. I am transformed.

Service, suffering and pain transform into glory.

Only the Spirit can resurrect me.

Nobody sees how I struggle. Nobody but you, oh merciful Lord. Show me the freedom in giving it all up to you. Jesus loved his Father and all humankind. That’s why he suffered and bled.

He gave it all for them. For me.

May the Spirit of God reveal to me a deeper hope and joy in giving my life for others.

Dragged down by the worries and troubles of life? Having faith doesn’t mean easy solutions. Instead, faith in God answers questions that burn deep in your heart. This goes beyond people and circumstances. It let’s you move forward even in the most difficult situations.

A relationship with Jesus is never superficial. You might struggle to accept certain things, and that’s understandable. Still, Jesus’ example speaks to us in a place that goes beyond the present moment… even beyond the pain. Or maybe it helps us understand the pain in a new way.

The fruit of this process – of trusting and depending more on God – is heavenly. It makes your character strong. It gives you clarity and direction. And the Spirit guides you to be a blessing and messenger of salvation. It’s God’s mercy living in and through you.

and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.

John 10:28-30

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

John 20:19-20

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

Isaiah 40:31a

Simply awesome…

PRAYER TO RISE UP

Oh heavenly Lord,

Here I am. Once more before you. Only you know my true, intimate self. Time and again you show me.

Give me the confidence now, oh Lord, to open myself up to you. Help me to be humble.

At your feet, I place my worry, my fear… my pain.

Take it all, Jesus. Help me to surrender it to you. Let me give up my worry into your wounds.

Show me what it means in a deeper way. Let me know the mind of God as it applies to my heart and soul.

Unite me to you, oh Lord. Here I find healing. Here I am strong.

I rest in you. I depend on you. I trust you.

Christ shows me the depths of the Lord’s love for me. My place as a child of God is indestructible. Nobody can take me from your hand.

Sometimes we might think being bold means calling attention to ourselves. But being bold in the Lord means having courage thanks to your faith. An impenetrable faith – in a God that loves you – makes you bold.

What does this do for you?

Boldness helps you with everyday challenges, especially when you get tired. It helps you when you face intense struggles that come from your own failures or from outside attacks. Being bold helps you when you have to stand up for yourself or for others.

Perhaps the most important place where we should be bold is when we share the Gospel message. This doesn’t mean you are pushy or loud, but you speak with confidence. Your words reveal the joy in being a child of God – and that your identity is indestructible. Your words are saturated with the love of Jesus Christ.

You might be a creature of habit, but are you free? Or has your vision of the world become hard and inflexible? We depend on structures for context, but every human-made design has limitations.

Be careful when you catch yourself thinking or saying:

That’s how it’s always been done.

That’s just how I am.

While traditions have value, if they crush creativity or caring, there’s something wrong. Also, don’t misinterpret the phrase, “God understands me.” If you use this as an excuse to hurt yourself or others, God certainly wants you to change.

We shouldn’t throw all structures out the window, but remember why they exist – to serve us, not the other way around.

If you find yourself in a spiritual rut, you might try participating in a retreat, Bible study, or some kind of volunteer/church service. Also, intensify your prayer efforts. Ask God to help you open up your conversation with him. It’s important to spend time examining your attitudes, especially towards those closest to you.

Don’t let your faith get stale. Keep it alive and be renewed. Make this a priority in your life and see how the heavens open up to you.

God did not make us robots. Instead, he lets us choose. At the same time, he is deeply concerned about our growth and our relationship with his son, Jesus. So why does it seem so hard to understand God’s will sometimes?

One of the reasons is that our vision may be clouded by harmful attitudes. Things like pride, anger, manipulation and vanity block our view. But that’s also part of God’s will. He wants us to be free of sin and selfishness, then he has something to work with. It’s like giving someone the keys to your car – you only do it if they are clear headed.

To make it easier to know the will of God, start with the basics, that is, faith in the Gospel message. Upon that eternal truth, all other plans unfold. When you stand upon the truth of the crucified and resurrected Christ, the heavens open up, and the Word of God comes to you.

So stand firm in your faith. If you don’t feel confident about it, get on your knees and ask for this grace. Our good and loving God will not refuse you. Then, by a similar process, seek his will for your life.

For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:40

And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit. The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:13-16

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart,

Jeremiah 29:12-13

PRAYER FOR GOD’S WILL IN MY LIFE (regular text)

Oh heavenly Lord,

I’m at a crossroads. I have decisions to make, and I’m unsure. Many voices shout out telling me, “Do this. Do that!” Confusion and doubt are everywhere.

When anger becomes distorted and rotten, it transforms into resentment. This happens when we take an old wound and blame it on something bothering us now.

Everybody gets angry sometimes, and there are healthy ways to channel anger. If it drives you to seek good and justice, then it’s positive. If it makes you feel like hurting someone, then something is wrong. If left to linger too long, you can even begin to feel resentment when you see blessings happen. It’s as if life is unfair only to you.

If you notice yourself feeling hate and disgust for someone, check your heart. Is your reaction appropriate? Is it in line with your values and convictions? Does it reflect your faith in a loving Savior?

Go to God when you feel resentment. Be sincere with yourself and with the Lord. Let him show you what’s going on inside your heart. And then let him reveal to you the doorway to freedom.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7:3-5

Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

John 8:31-32

PRAYER TO BE FREE FROM RESENTMENT (regular text)

Oh loving Lord,

If I see wrong or don’t agree, I get angry sometimes or even seethe with rage.

Why does this happen? Why am I so resentful? Won’t you help me?

Forgive me, oh Lord, for hurting and condemning even if just in my heart. I look at the sin of others while a plank blinds my own eye.

Show me, oh Lord, the root of my reaction, my hate. Show me where it all began and free me from that hurt. Heal my history and my heart.

Help me to forgive.

Cast out any spirit that tempts me to look upon others with hate instead of compassion. I have no right, oh Lord, for I am a sinner too.

Let your mercy guide me, and may the joy of my salvation be my message to all.